


Disclosure

by prairiecrow



Series: Camouflage/Disclosure/Possession/Consummation [2]
Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Authority Figures, Confession, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-12
Updated: 2011-09-12
Packaged: 2017-10-23 16:43:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/252530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prairiecrow/pseuds/prairiecrow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the Bajoran festival of Kejal-am, Julian Bashir must explain his actions to his commanding officer. Or try to.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Disclosure

**Author's Note:**

> Sequel to "Camouflage". Set between the S2 episodes "The Wire" and "The Collaborator".

When Julian Bashir received Sisko's call to Ops on the morning after the full day of the festival of Kejal-am, his heart sank into his boots. It wasn't that he hadn't expected the summons — in fact he'd been dreading it ever since Shivera and Nialli had tumbled giggling out of his quarters and left him with time and leisure to consider what lay in store for him after his performance with Garak on the Promenade — but knowing it was coming didn't help much. In the end all he had to offer to his commanding officer was the truth. The trouble was, he wasn't sure that the truth would be enough.

Parts of what really happened, of course, could be glossed over: he didn't have to tell the Commander that he'd spent most of the night of Kejal-am keeping two young Bajoran women very happy (the memory of Shivera riding his cock while Nialli rode his tongue still gave him a delicious glow and a blush that he hoped wasn't  _too_  obvious), or that Garak's little tricks in Quark's had driven him just about out of his mind. But by now three quarters of the station had to know… no, make that  _everybody_  aboard the station once Jadzia Dax and Quark finished spreading the tale, plus several people who'd doubtless taken the news back to Bajor with them… whatever the final total who now thought that Lieutenant Bashir and Garak the Cardassian spy were officially an item, it was not a number calculated to fill Deep Space Nine's ranking Starfleet officer with joy and forgiveness. 

As he made his way to Ops Julian accepted the various glances thrown his way — pleased, insinuating, disgusted, amazed — as his due for agreeing to take part in the charade that had convinced a lustful Evorian trader that the station's Chief Medical Officer wasn't free to be taken. But when he stepped out of the turbolift into DS9's command centre he saw the last person in the quadrant he wanted to run into at this moment: Miles O'Brien, whose dislike for Cardassians as a species was second only to that of Kira Nerys (who, for a mercy, was not present).

To Julian's surprise Miles acknowledged his arrival with a glance up from his console and a friendly nod: "Morning."

"Good morning," Julian replied cautiously, looking up toward Sisko's office. The doors were closed and he could see the familiar upright forms of Kira and Odo standing in front of the Commander's desk. Wonderful. He'd have to wait even longer to find out how much trouble he was actually in. He approached his friend and stopped about three meters away, still uncertain what sort of reaction his comments would provoke. "How, ah… how was your festival?"

Miles beamed fondly. "Oh, it was grand! We took Molly down to the children's carnival in Shorus Prefecture — she won a stuffed  _tiala_  cat as big as she is." For a couple of seconds he concentrated on his console readouts and Julian concentrated on not fidgeting too obviously, until Miles offered him a somewhat sympathetic expression. "I heard  _you_  had quite the time, yourself."

"Ah." He couldn't suppress a little squirm of his shoulders. "I, um, I don't know what you've heard, but…"

Miles shrugged, eyes on his screen once more. "It's none of my business, really. You're a big boy. You can make your own decisions."

"But that's just it — it wasn't  _really_ …" Julian trailed off, because he  _had_  been doing some things with his Cardassian friend that were far less than innocent, just not the things that Miles was assuming. At last he settled on declaring: "There's nothing going on between me and Garak!", even though he still wasn't sure if that was strictly the case or not.

"That's not what Lieutenant Dax said." The Chief's smirk softened when he saw how uncomfortable Julian looked. "Doesn't matter — not to me, anyway. 'Sides, I'm not the one you have to worry about."

Julian was just opening his mouth to reply when a resonant voice carried effortlessly across Ops: "Doctor Bashir! My office.  _Now._ "

Miles cocked an eyebrow at him and offered a tight little smile of encouragement to bolster what must have been a clear drop in mood on Julian's part. "Good luck."

"Thanks." He had to pass Odo and Kira on the stairway leading to the office level, and the combined look they levelled at him made him want to squirm all over again. He had a couple of seconds to wonder if Garak was running the same gauntlet of reactions from his customers and fellow businessmen on the Promenade, and then he was standing in front of his CO's desk and the doors were swishing closed behind him, sealing them together in a private space of gradually but inexorably increasing pressure. 

Sisko, who had evidently risen to bid Odo and Kira farewell, sat back in his chair and steepled his fingers and fixed Julian with what Julian had privately come to think of as The Look That Crushed Mountains To Dust. It was a quiet expression, reserved, not in the least overtly hostile… but in the stillness of that dark face dwelt a force capable of reducing strong men to babbling torrents of justification.

Julian tried not to shuffle his feet on the carpet. He succeeded. Barely. Maybe Sisko didn't want to talk about what had happened with Garak at all. After all, it  _had_  taken place during Kejal-am, and it hadn't been illegal, and Sisko had given his senior officers permission to have as good a time as they liked… no, he mustn't jump to conclusions or get himself into more trouble than he might necessarily be in already.

After several long seconds Sisko finally spoke. His voice was as outwardly quiet as his expression, and just as commanding. "Well?"

For a split second Julian actually considered responding:  _Well what, sir?_  He immediately realized what a spectacularly bad idea that would be. "Sir, it's not what you think. You see, there was this Evorian trader, Zevar Til Assok, son-heir of the First Procurer of the Sevarn Consortium, and I was walking down the Promenade minding my own business when he…"

And Julian recounted the events of the evening in question: Assok's attempt to accost him, Garak's timely intervention, the realization that informing station Security and possibly embarrassing the Evorian delegation would be counterproductive, Garak's suggestion that Assok might lose interest if he thought that Julian was already involved with another male, the sharing of the sesham to give that precise impression, the stroll on the upper level of the Promenade and the kiss to continue the deception, and Garak's final act of escorting Julian to the habitat ring to make sure that he wasn't being followed. He explained that Garak had left him there without sharing the details of their parting, just as he'd left out the sequence of events, emotional and physical, that had accompanied the eating of the sesham: there was no need for Sisko to know that Garak had tied him up in such sexual knots. 

When he'd finished speaking Sisko regarded him with those inscrutable but intense eyes for several more seconds, a scrutiny that Julian managed not to sweat under, before sighing and picking up the baseball on his desk. He turned his attention to it for a moment, a common habit when he was contemplating a problem, and Julian found himself relaxing slightly and daring to hope that he might get out of this with his professional hide intact.

At last Sisko glanced back at Julian and sighed under his breath. He put the baseball back on its little stand. "I see. So — it was all part of an elaborate scheme, concocted by Mister Garak, to convince Zevar Til Assok that you weren't a fit focus for his unwanted attentions?"

Julian nodded. "Yes, sir. That about covers it."

"You do realize, of course, that word of this is all over the station?"

Julian's heart plunged, although he'd been expecting as much, and he stifled a nervous little laugh. "Is it?"

Sisko inclined his chin in confirmation. "In fact just this morning, word reached me that Quark is busy preparing catering estimates for your betrothal party."

"Oh  _God_." Julian could feel the blood draining from his face. "This is getting completely out of hand!"

"I couldn't agree more." The Look was back with a vengeance. " _And_  you understand that your little stunt has put me in a very difficult position with the Bajorans, both here and on Bajor itself?"

"I… can see where that would be the case, sir."

"To have one of my own senior officers associating with a known enemy agent…" Sisko visibly controlled an incipient outburst, then steepled his fingers again. "Lunch once a week is one thing. Sharing a plate of sesham in public is quite another."

"With all due respect, sir, would you have preferred that I surrendered myself to the Evorian?"

"Of course not!" Sisko leaned forward, obvious annoyance and anger flashing in his gaze for the first time. "I  _would_  have preferred, however, that you'd avoided giving the appearance of being sexually involved with a Cardassian spy!"

"I'm sorry, Commander." And he meant it. "I'll go to Quark's right away and explain to him that it was all a terrible misunderstanding…" But the expression on Sisko's face told him that this plan was not acceptable, so he shut his mouth before he dug himself even deeper.

"Not while the Evorians are still on the station you won't." Sisko's gaze bore down on Julian for another heartbeat before he sat back again, looking calmer but still aggrieved. "They wouldn't take at all kindly to discovering that the son and heir of one of their diplomats had been so easily tricked. In the interest of the trade talks, I'm afraid we'll have to maintain your deception until after they've left."

Julian nodded again but said nothing more. There didn't seem to be much to say.

"The delegation should be off the station in less than fifty-two hours," Sisko continued. "Until that time you are to proceed as if you are indeed spoken for, but," and he raised a hand, "only insofar as not saying anything to prove that impression wrong. Given the gossip mill on this station, that shouldn't be difficult. Everyone else will be doing the work for you."

Julian nodded again. "Yes, sir."

Another long look. Another subliminal sigh. "Dismissed." But as Julian turned to go he spoke again: "And Doctor…?"

With considerable apprehension, Julian turned back. "Yes, sir?"

"If you ever  _do_  decide that an intimate relationship with Mister Garak is a good idea, I trust that I'll be the first person to know about it." Something that might have been a smile tugged at one corner of his mouth. "And that you'll be less... indiscreet."

Julian stared at him, analyzing that statement and coming to only one very unlikely conclusion about what it meant. "Yes, sir! Of course!"

Sisko nodded, and Julian left with as quickly as he could without obviously running away with his tail between his legs. As he came down the steps again Miles looked up; Kira, now at a nearby console, resolutely ignored his presence.

"Well?" Miles asked.

Julian smiled at him, feeling full relief for the first time in the last thirty-nine hours — and more than mere relief. Sisko had just given him  _outright permission_  to pursue the elusive Cardassian, and after an evening of such blatant teasing he looked forward to the satisfaction of the chase. "All clear. I'd better get back to the Infirmary. See you for darts this evening?"

Seeing Miles' smile widen in response, Julian knew that the Chief was just as pleased that he hadn't had the skin flayed off him and hung up on Sisko's office door. "Sure there isn't something else you'd rather be doing?"

Julian felt himself blush and reflected that such a reaction would only enhance the story Sisko had ordered him to keep telling. "Not tonight," he said, and it was only half a lie: Garak had stated that he wasn't interested in taking their flirtation to the next level, but if there'd been the slightest chance… Julian resolutely put that thought aside. There'd be time to consider strategies for drawing Garak out of his deep cover later. For the moment he offered Kira a parting nod (also ignored) before heading for the turbolift again, only peripherally registering the way Miles was ruefully shaking his head. Before he returned to his post he'd have to stop by Garak's shop: knowing Garak's taste for subterfuge, the tailor would no doubt be delighted to take part in a bit of further diplomatic deception. Who knew? Perhaps Julian could even coax another public kiss out of him, all in service to the cause. 

If not… well, he had other arrows in his quiver. Garak might not have realized that he was opening Pandora's box but Julian, once roused, was as determined a suitor as could be found in the Alpha Quadrant: he took pride in that reputation and in his own inventiveness when it came to seduction. He'd never been inspired to devote himself to capturing another male before but he was a quick student and even Garak, wily old serpent that he was, had given away enough during their evening of give-and-take to provide his Human friend with some very promising possibilities.

Surely it was only a matter of patience and dedication, both of which Julian possessed in abundance. He still had no doubt that the prize would ultimately be worth both the time and the trouble. 

THE END


End file.
